Chrome Apps support on Chrome OS, Windows, Mac & Linux soon coming to an end: Here's what you should know

Chrome Apps were first introduced back in 2013. It was an ambitious project that aimed to make app development much easier for developers since a single app could work on almost every platform that supported the Google Chrome browser.

They could be launched through Chrome app launcher which was a dedicated home for your apps. This launcher could be pinned on the Windows taskbar, making it easier to open apps from outside the browser.

However, Chrome Apps didn’t really catch on with developers. They were always overshadowed by Android apps and Chrome extensions and hence never took off.

In fact, the adoption rates were so pathetically low that Google had announced in 2016 that Chrome Apps would stop being supported across all platforms because only 1% of users were using them.

However, Google then spared the Chrome Apps for a while before making another announcement several years later in January 2020.

This time, Google gave out a more definite timeline saying support for Chrome Apps on Chrome OS, Windows, Mac, and Linux would end in June 2021.

But then once again, another updated timeline was released in August 2020, pushing forward the end of support on Chrome OS to June 2022.

However, there are some queries making rounds on social media regarding the obsolescence of Chrome Apps on Chrome OS.

Several users have been erroneously wondering about the state of Chrome Apps when they get deprecated in June 2020.

We do not blame such users really since most publications that published the initial Google announcement from January 2020 never updated their stories with the new timeline announced in August 2020. This has led to plenty of confusion.

Well, we are now putting all of that confusion to rest. As already mentioned, the updated timeline has stated that the end of Chrome Apps support on Chrome OS will come into effect in June 2022.

This means that you do not have to worry about apps like Zoom, at least for another year. So just chill for now.

PiunikaWeb started purely as an investigative tech journalism website with a main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Fox News, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, MacRumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.